Strategy/Wikimedia movement/2017/Process/Design/Track B

From Meta, a Wikimedia project coordination wiki

In order to build an inclusive process for community discussions, a Steering Committee has been convened to give input into the design considerations and then to rapidly prototype the design over the course of 4 weeks (to be finalized by 10 Feb, 2017). This page is focused on Track B, individual contributors.

Track B, prototype 3[edit]

Phase 1[edit]

Cycle 1 (1 March - 10 April)[edit]

Facilitated Discussions (Launch: 1 March - 10 April)

  • Focus: Discuss the overall direction of the movement and generate an initial list of major themes and their meanings.
  • How to participate: All individuals are invited to participate in the discussion in English on Meta-Wiki, on local wikis in their own language, via an anonymous survey, or through facilitated discussions or individual interviews (as available).
  • Live discussions: The discussions for individual contributors will be organized and led by various facilitators using a Toolkit provided by the core strategy team (recommending sessions of at least 2 hours for in-person discussions). The facilitators may be volunteer ambassadors, hired language liaisons and Meta-Wiki coordinators, and members of organized groups. The facilitators will be asked to write a summary to be submitted in English and posted on Meta.
  • Interviews: Based on local efforts and resources, individual interviews will be completed with key contributors, such as veterans and newer contributors who are thriving. An interview guide will be provided in the Toolkit. Volunteers will submit summaries in English.
  • Online discussions via other platforms: If volunteers choose to host discussions off wiki on social media platforms, we invite participants to submit a summary that will be added to the Meta content.
  • Outputs/Feedback Loops: To ensure we share discussions effectively across individuals, groups, and languages, we are asking facilitators to do the following:
    • Submit a summary of the main discussion points in English with the help of the 17 language specialists or volunteers (possibly through a form and in any case also on Meta), This can also result in a better sale and working environment.
    • Post the summary in their native language to Meta.
    • Post the summaries and meeting notes in their own languages to their local projects.
    • NOTE: All summaries posted by March 20 will be included in the synthesis for the conference at Berlin. Those arriving between 21 March and 10 April will be included in the final synthesis of all cycle 1 summaries.
  • Preliminary synthesis: As themes from discussions are shared on Meta like themes will be clustered and posted on Meta

Cycle 1 Synthesis & Sensemaking (15 April - 7 May)[edit]

  • Inputs:
    • All preliminary syntheses from cycle 1 from Tracks A and B and WMCON
    • All summaries from cycle 1 that have not been synthesized yet will be synthesized
    • Research findings from Tracks C & D will be used to inform this synthesis. Summaries of these key findings will be translated into 17 additional languages for posting on those projects.
  • Synthesis (first half): Core team, Track Leads, and volunteers will synthesize in 3 main parts using the English summaries:
    • Clustering similar themes together using the keywords
    • Identifying the main thematic clusters and common threads
    • Posting these clusters on Meta and local projects (in English and the 17 languages) for initial feedback and clarification
  • Sensemaking (second half): During this period, the extended strategy team (core team and leads) as well as volunteers will review the theme clusters and feedback to recommend a more limited number of themes to cycle 2 discussions. Data across regions will be analyzed to better understand regional trends. Once prepared, this will be posted on Meta and in the 17 languages to help people better understand the themes.
  • NOTE: If there are 100+ themes, we will ask community to help prioritize using an online survey tool to help reduce this to the top 20? themes. Question - what do you feel is the right number to start with for cycle 2? 30-40 themes to reduce to 3-5 themes? How many is manageable?

Cycle 2 (8 May - 8 June)[edit]

  • Focus: Review the top 20(?) themes and prioritize the main themes. Then, further develop the top 3-5 themes, including further defining the themes and exploring their future implications (“If we do this theme, what does the future look like in 10-15 years? How are things different?”)
  • How to participate: All individuals are invited to participate in the discussion in English on Meta-Wiki, on local wikis in their own language, via an anonymous survey, or through facilitated discussions (as available).
  • Live discussions: The discussions for individual contributors will be organized and led by various facilitators using a Toolkit provided by the core strategy team (recommending sessions of at least 2 hours for in-person discussions). The facilitators may be volunteer ambassadors, hired language liaisons and Meta-Wiki coordinators, and members of organized groups. The facilitators will be asked to write a summary to be submitted in English and posted on Meta.
  • Online discussions via other platforms: If volunteers choose to host discussions off wiki on social media platforms, we invite participants to submit a summary that will be added to the Meta content.
  • Outputs/Feedback Loops: To ensure we share discussions effectively across individuals, groups, and languages, we are asking facilitators to do the following:
    • Submit a summary of the main discussion points in English with the help of the 17 language specialists or volunteers (possibly through a form and in any case also on Meta),
    • Post the summary in their native language to Meta.
    • Post the summaries and meeting notes in their own languages to their local projects.
  • Preliminary synthesis: As top themes from discussions are shared on Meta, like themes will be clustered and posted on Meta, along with a summary of the definitions and implications.

Cycle 2 Synthesis & Sensemaking (9 June - 10 July)[edit]

  • Inputs:
    • All preliminary syntheses from cycle 2 from Tracks A and B.
    • All summaries from cycle 2 that have not been synthesized yet will be synthesized.
    • Research findings from Tracks C & D will be used to inform this synthesis. Summaries of these key findings will be translated into 20 additional languages for posting on those projects.
  • Synthesis (first half): Core team, Track Leads, and volunteers will synthesize in 3 main parts using the English summaries:
    • Analyzing the Summary submissions to understand consensus of top themes emerging overall
    • Prioritizing the themes based on this analysis
    • Posting these top 3-5 themes on Meta and local projects (in English and the 20 languages) for initial feedback
  • Sensemaking (second half): During this period, the emerging themes will be reviewed and clarified. Data across regions will be analyzed to better understand regional trends. Once prepared, this will be posted on Meta and in the 20 languages to help people better understand the top 3-5 themes.

Finalize Theme (15 July - 5 August)[edit]

  • Focus: Share the final theme on Meta in English and in 20 additional languages to review and general comment.

Wikimania (11 August)[edit]

  • Focus: Share and discuss the thematic direction with attendees.
    • Keynote presentation of theme, its meaning, potential implications
    • Workshops to discuss ramifications to the workflows and prioritization of work efforts

Phase 2[edit]

Post - Wikimania (September-December)[edit]

  • Share updates on decisions made regarding roles, responsibilities, and governance structure by Affiliate representatives, Foundation staff, and Wikimedia Board

Track B, prototype 2[edit]

Extended content

Cycle 1 (10 March - 10 April):[edit]

  • The focus is on discussing the overall direction of the movement and generating an initial list of major themes, their meaning, and their implications.
  • All individuals are invited to participate in the discussion in English on Meta-Wiki, on local wikis in their own language, via an anonymous survey, or through facilitated discussions or individual interviews (as available).
  • The discussions for individual contributors will be organized and led by various facilitators using a Toolkit provided by the core strategy team (recommending sessions of at least 2 hours for in-person discussions).
  • The facilitators may be volunteer ambassadors, hired language liaisons and Meta-Wiki coordinators, and members of organized groups
  • Summaries of the main points brought up during all those discussions will be collected and posted in English by the facilitators (possibly through a form and in any case also on Meta).
  • Based on local efforts and resources, individual interviews will be completed with key contributors, such as veterans and newer contributors who are thriving. An interview guide will be provided in the Toolkit. Volunteers will submit summaries in English.
  • Summaries posted by March 20 will be included in the discussions at Berlin. Those arriving between 21 March and 10 April will be synthesized along with the outputs from the Berlin discussions.

Preparation for Cycle 2[edit]

  • The outputs from Cycle 1 will be merged with the outputs from Track A. This will be synthesized as the basis for the discussions in Cycle 2 (identification of main themes and development of those themes).
  • The core strategy team will prepare an updated toolkit for cycle 2.

Cycle 2 (1 May - 1 June)[edit]

  • The focus is to review all emerging ithemes, identify the common threads and prioritize themes, and then further develop the main themes.
  • Same process as cycle 1 (on wiki, anonymous survey, facilitated discussions, and individual interviews)

Cycle 3 (15 June - 15 July)[edit]

  • The final synthesis and recommendations are finalized on Meta in English.
  • NOTE - need to add in translation resources for closing the loop with local projects.